


Here Comes Santa Claus.

by fernitron007



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, F/M, Love, M/M, Modern AU, Muggle AU, Remus does things and thinks about it later, Secret Santa, Sex Shop Gifts, Sirius knows what's up, a bit of homophobia, a little texting, fricking happy ending, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 23:30:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5605000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fernitron007/pseuds/fernitron007
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lily has convinced Remus to play Secret Santa with her and her new boyfriend's friends. Remus can't say no to her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I got this idea on Christmas and started typing it out, it took me a while, but I'm half way through it and it's pretty much finished in my head. Here's a small part of it, if the second chapter goes on for too long (i think it might), it'll be three chapters at most.  
> First off, I have no idea what the value of money is in England, so please help me if it's wrong (probably is xD). Sorry for any typos, or if anything sounds funny, I've tried to make it flow; but English isn't my first language, so maybe what sounds okay to me isn't. Also, I TRIED to make it sound like England English, but I'm crap and I don't even know what this is anymore. Don't judge me xD  
> Other than that, I hope you like it, comments and kudos are more than welcome!  
> P/S: The title is from the Christmas Song "Here Comes Santa Claus" because I am so not original.

“Please, Remus! You know I’d do it for you! And it’s not just going to be us, Marlene and Dorcas said they’d play too!”

December had just rolled in and it was _that_ time of the year again. Christmas was begging time for Lily. _Remus, let’s do this! Remus, please help me out! Remus, I’ve already signed up for both of us! I’ll owe you for the rest of my life!_ She had always been a tad dramatic, but after knowing her for more than ten years, he was used to it.

“I’ll owe you for the rest of my life!” Remus couldn’t help but laugh as she reached her last plea, knowing full well that Remus always said yes after a few weeks of badgering him. It really was unfair that he couldn’t say no to her.

“Fine, fine. But you owe me for life! You can start paying your multiple debts by making me tea.” Lily hugged him a bit over enthusiastically.

“Oh, thank you, Remy! You know I love you, don’t you? You’re the best friend in the world!” she gushed.

“Oh, shut it, woman. Make me some tea.” His friend laughed and proceeded to put the kettle on.

“So, does Potter’s Christmas enthusiasm come from you or is he naturally chipper around this time of the year?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Lily had been dating James for a few months now and they got along perfectly. Remus had seen him a few times to deem him acceptable for his best friend, but didn’t know much about him other than what she had told him.

“Oh, no. James loves Christmas. His family went all out during the winter hols. Sirius is a Christmas junkie too, so it’s double the dose of Christmas cheer and it’s quite infectious!” she chattered happily.

“Who’ll be playing?”

“Marlene, Dorcas, James, Sirius, Regulus, Peter, you and I!” Remus laughed at his friend’s mirth. She hadn’t been this cheerful about Christmas for a few years now. Potter really did make her happy. She handed him his tea and plopped down next to him with a mug of her own.

“I’m sorry I’m so chirpy, it’s just… I have you and Marls and Dory, and I love you all so much, but James makes me so happy. I can’t stop smiling when I’m around him.” She smiled softly at him, her cheeks nearly as red as her hair. He returned the smile as lovingly as he could.

“I know, Lils. And I am so happy for you. I really am.”

Her eyes were glassy and her smile faltered a little. She wiped her eyes and chuckled. “Ugh, this is ridiculous. Blasted tears.”

“Heads up. If I get to be your Secret Santa, you are getting a parade of ridiculous, embarrassing presents. Maybe that’ll make you less cheerful, like us mortals.”

“Noted. I’ll probably out do you, though. We both know whose mind is more twisted.”

Remus smiled at his best friend and raised his mug for a toast. “Game on, Evans.”

* * *

 

“Okay, guys. Everybody’s going to put their name in this Santa hat and we will get started. If you pick out your own name, put it back in and pick another.” James said, walking around the circle of friends with the hat so they could put their names inside.

“The rules are: Two presents minimum and one on Christmas Eve, where we will guess our Secret Santa’s. Jamie and I thought we should have a price limit for the presents. Is everyone okay with that?” James’s friend- Sirius, he told himself- looked around the circle for any objections.

“It seems quite reasonable. What’s the limit?” Remus asked. Sirius exchanged a smile with James, who was still rounding up the names.

“We thought 30 quid between all the presents was reasonable. I mean, you don’t have to spend 30 quid, but you can’t go over it.” He gave a pointed look at James and James shrugged.

“What? I love Christmas and presents. Sorry if I go overboard for you, mate. I don’t see you complaining.” At this, Sirius gave a hearty laugh, followed by Dorcas and Regulus.

Remus smiled and nodded. “Yeah, okay. 30 quid it is.”

James finished collecting the names and stood in the middle of the circle smiling like a madman. “My beautiful LilyFlower, will you do the honors?” Lily giggled and stepped forward to take a name. One by one they took a slip of paper from the hat. After Regulus had taken out his, it was Remus’s turn. He felt around the inside of the hat and took out the first slip of paper he could find.

“Nobody look at them yet, I am warning you. If you do, we start over.” James warned. Everybody laughed and planted their eyes on James as he picked out the last name. It seems Lily was right about his Christmas enthusiasm. “Okay, now!”

Remus opened his slip of paper. _Lily Evans. ‘_ Okay, Remus. Control your facial expressions or else everyone will know.’ He masked the evident glee on his features with a face that he hoped said ‘I am excited about Secret Santa, but I did not get Lily. I did not get my best friend. I do not know what the fuck to get this person’.

Sirius broke out of the circle and headed towards the kitchen. “Okay guys, try not to lose those slips of paper, I don’t want any spoilers. Eat them, burn them, I don’t care, but protect them with your life. Understood?” Sirius glared at his friends until everyone slipped their piece of paper into one of their pockets. He looked quite pleased with himself and stuck his own paper in his jean’s pocket. “Okay, now that that’s done, anyone want a beer?”

Everyone nodded and James tagged along behind Sirius to help him. As soon as they were gone, Remus turned to Lily. “So, who’d you get?” Remus tried not to blush and shushed her.

“It’s a secret, Lily. No. Don’t give me the puppy eyes.” He playfully scorned her as she gave him her most adorable pout. “Lily, honestly. That stopped working years ago.”

She smirked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah, that’s why you’re here. Because you never do the things I ask you to.”

Remus rolled his eyes. “I don’t know how I put up with you.”

She grinned and kissed his cheek. “Because you love me, Remy.”

James had appeared with their beers and had plopped himself behind Lily, squeezing her sides. “Oi, Lily! We had a deal! You can snog whoever you like, but I can’t know about it. Make an effort!” She slapped his arm playfully and he raised his eyebrows suggestively. “I know I do.” At James’s remark, Lily turned around and started poking him in the ribs until James was doubled over in laughter, trying to avoid his girlfriend’s fingers.

“Okay, okay, I give up! You are the only woman for me, Evans!” Lily bit her lip in exasperation and stopped her attack.

“Yes, yes, Potter. We all know about the depth of your undying love for me.”

James came out from under the pillow he was hiding, glasses askew and hair unkempt, and gave her a dazzling smile. “Come on, Lils. I want a word with you in the kitchen.” And with that, he dragged a giggling Lily away from the living room, leaving Remus chuckling to himself and taking sips of his beer. Before he could stand up to join Dory and Marlene, Sirius Black had propped himself down on the place Lily had been sitting in.

“Hey, I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced yet.” He said, stretching out his hand for Remus to shake. “I’m Sirius Black.” Remus gave him a friendly smile and shook his hand.

“Remus Lupin.”

“So, Remus…” Sirius looked him up and down as if sizing him up and Remus felt painfully aware of himself, but tried to appear nonchalant by taking a swig of his beer and not choking on it. “Are you a Christmas junkie?”

The question took Remus by surprise, his mouth smiling on its own accord. “Well, only because Lily is. We’ve been living together for a few years and her Christmas Spirit is worse than the flu. She always makes me bake, she enters us in plays, in choirs to go caroling. ”

Sirius chortled. “So what’s this year’s project?”

Remus grinned and gestured the room and the people around them. “Secret Santa.”

“Well, at least you get a few presents out of it. And maybe some new friends?” Sirius’s smile was hesitant, as if asking for Remus’s permission to be friends. Remus couldn’t help finding it adorable and smiled sweetly at him.

“Aye, new friends.” He said, and clinked his bottle to Sirius’s.

“And our first friendship act will be to down our bottles together!” His new friend announced, enthusiastically. Now Remus was the one to hesitate. He wasn’t one to drink alcohol, and he was pretty sure that if he gulped down the entire bottle now (which was more than half full), he would be closer to getting tipsy.

“Uhm, I’m kinda lightweight.” He mumbled. Sirius gave him an encouraging smile.

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to do it. Mind you, if you did, I’d take care of you. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t?”

Remus smiled at the kindness in his eyes and nodded. “Okay, I’ll down it, but when there’s half left, aye?”

“Aye.”

* * *

“Oh, god. Don’t let me drink ever ever ever again.” Remus muttered, stumbling through the kitchen to make himself some tea. Lily was sitting on the counter with her head in her hands, having already finished what looked like her third cup of tea, but managed to giggle at his declaration anyway.

“Sirius got you to drink, Remus. That’s a first. And I doubt it’ll be the last. It looked like you were having fun for once in your life.”

Remus gave her a dirty look and pondered his scattered thoughts for a few seconds. “You’re right. Fine, don’t ever let me drink that much again. Better?”

Lily shrugged. “As you wish…”

After the kettle went off, Remus quickly prepared his tea and headed to the sitting room where he snuggled in his favorite armchair. Lily trudged in after him and lied on the couch, wrapping herself in a blanket. They sat in silence for a while, Remus mulling over the events of the night before and taking sips of his scalding tea.

It hadn’t been anything out of the ordinary. They had mostly talked through the night, the group had become quite familiar with each other. Sirius had been particularly interesting, but he couldn’t remember why. They had played truth or dare, opting mostly for truth because there was a big gap between Remus, Dorcas and Marlene; and Regulus, Sirius and Peter. James and Lily had eased them into it, and by the end of the night, Remus was sure he had everybody’s number in his phone.

“Reeeeeeeeemy?” Lily said, batting her lashes and smiling sweetly at him.

“I’m not telling you who I got.” He answered dryly.

She looked crestfallen at the sudden negative and curled into a ball beneath her blanket. Remus rolled his eyes and sighed. “Lily, get out of there.” He heard a muffled response from her and smiled. “Lily, I’m too hungover to do this today.” More muffled responses. He got up as gently as he could and stepped over to the couch. He poked the lump of Lily a few times, but as there was no response- he wasn’t expecting one, anyway-, he threw himself on his friend and stayed slumped over her until she started moving.

“Okay, okay. You win. This is totally unfair, by the way. You know you’re stronger than me.” He chuckled and got off of her, sitting where her feet lay before. She was still in a ball, but at least her head wasn’t under the covers anymore.

“Stop being such a baby, you know I like to do things right.”

“Yeah, okay. You don’t have to tell me.” Remus smirked at his triumph and Lily closed her eyes, settling in for a nap. When she finally fell asleep, he made sure she was tucked in and kissed her forehead.

“Love you, Lils.”

* * *

Remus was walking through town, swearing under his breath at the amount of people that had suddenly decided it was time for Christmas shopping. The first Secret Santa gift was due in two days and he had forgotten about it. He maneuvered around a group of teenagers and his eyes were attracted to a little shop he had totally forgotten existed. _Oh, Lily. You are so dead._ He smiled to himself and headed towards the shop, not taking his eyes off it. A mistake, clearly, because someone bumped into him and a few sheets of paper flew to the floor.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” The stranger was quick to apologize and started gathering his things from the floor.

“No, I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking.” Remus answered, joining him and handing him a few of the sheets of paper.

“Remus?”

Remus stood up and did a double take of the stranger. “Sirius! I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was you.” He outstretched his hand and the man took it, helping himself up. Sirius gave him one of his flaring grins.

“You seemed pretty distracted. Someone catch your eye?” Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius’s waggling eyebrows.

“No, I was Santa shopping and found the perfect shop for it.” He said, nodding to the shop he had been heading towards. Sirius followed his gesture and started laughing.

“A Sex Shop? Really, Remus? Who’d you get?”

“I’m not telling you. It’s SECRET Santa, right?”

“Well, if you got my name, I wouldn’t be at all bothered if you were shopping for my present in a sex shop.” He said, making Remus blush.

“It’s Lily. We had promised that if we got each other it had to be embarrassing.” He blurted out. Sirius’s expression looked slightly disappointed for a fraction of a second but then he cracked the widest smile Remus had seen on his face.

“Please please please, can I help? God knows I love her, but I would love to get back at her for all that she has pestered me.”

Remus shrugged. “Yeah, I could use a second opinion. And I have the feeling your mind is just as twisted as Lily’s.”

Sirius flashed him a smirk that made Remus’s stomach do a somersault. “Oh, you have no idea, Remy.”.

They entered the sex shop together and Remus headed towards the body paint, not quite comfortable with the rest of the items yet. He had gone through a few of the lotions and scented oils when Sirius came back chuckling with a package in his hands.

“Hey, why don’t you get her a sex swing? I’m sure Jamie would love that.” He pushed the parcel into his arms and whispered “Please look at the instructions, they’re hilarious.” Remus regarded the back of the package and had to stifle a laugh, for there were stick figures of how it was supposed to be used and a few examples of different positions.

“Put this back, Sirius!” He said between giggles, handing the swing back to his friend and shooing him towards the aisle he had come from. Remus waited for Sirius there, convinced he would have better luck looking for a present if he guided him on the matter. Sirius came back a few minutes later with a scowl on his face.

“Can we get out of here?”

“Wait, what? Why?” Confusion flickered across Remus’s face and Sirius inhaled deeply trying to compose his face.

“I overheard the clerks complaining about how poofs disgusted them and how they should be fixed. A few snide comments about us too. Please, can we go?” His eyes were pleading, but Remus couldn’t let this go. He had dealt with his fair share of homophobia and was tired of being pushed around. Instead, he took Sirius’s hand in his, giving a quick glance at the clerks and looking back at Sirius’s confused features.

“Trust me, aye?”

Sirius gave another deep breath and smiled gently at him. “Aye.”

As they perused the aisles together, he felt Sirius’s death grip on his hand loosen and his laughs getting less strained. They looked through the different colors of Body Paint, Remus favoring pink and Sirius blue. “Remus, think about it. Blue goes well with Lily’s hair.” The man said thoughtfully.

“Well, I can’t argue with logic. Blue it is!”

They laughed their way through the store and an hour later arrived at the cash register with the Body Paint, a pair of fishnets, Kamasutra Dice and a Sexy Nurse Apron. As Remus paid the cashier, he felt Sirius squeeze his hand and his smile immediately faltered when a glance at his friend showed him glaring at one of the employees who was sniggering not too discretely at them. He squeezed Sirius’s hand back trying to reassure him and smiled politely as the cashier handed him his change and his purchases.

Remus tugged Sirius towards the exit and glanced back at the clerks making sure they were looking at them. Once he was sure they had an audience, he cupped Sirius’s face with his right hand and captured his lips in his. He could feel Sirius stunned under his touch for a few seconds and he was about to pull back because he had already proven his point, but Sirius had started kissing back. It was gentle, warm, sweet and made his toes curl and his stomach do flip after flip.

It was Sirius who pulled away and gave a pointed glare at the employees, who had gone red in embarrassment or anger, he couldn’t tell because Sirius took his hand and dragged him outside, walking a few blocks before even looking back at him. Remus followed him in a daze, not quite understanding where they were going. Embarrassed, giddy, triumphant and entertained. Really, the good emotions trumped the bad.

They stopped outside of a coffee shop and Sirius finally turned around to look at him. The minute their eyes made contact, both of them burst out in laughter. He knew people were probably looking at them, but he couldn’t care less. He was crying from the amusement and he could tell from Sirius’s bark like laugh that he was equally entertained.

When the hilarity of their situation finally died down, Sirius stared at him, his gray eyes flickering, as if trying to figure something out, making Remus slightly uncomfortable.

“Uhm, thanks for that. I mean, for not letting bigoted people get to you.” He placed his hand on his arm as he fumbled for the words. “I don’t normally let them push me around, but I’m so tired of having to stand up for myself. It’s just easier to avoid them.” Remus was lost in the vulnerability in his eyes and was about to answer when Sirius spoke up again “Please don’t judge me.”

“I’d never judge you.” Remus managed to mumble. “I understand, really.” He smiled at Sirius, trying to convey without words just how much he understood. It seemed like Sirius could see it, because he smiled back at him and everything stood still. They stared at each other for what could’ve been hours, but were probably only mere minutes. It was Sirius again, who pulled out of the bubble that had enveloped them for what felt like an eternity.

“W-would you like to get some coffee?” He asked, gesturing to the coffeehouse that had suddenly appeared in front of them. Remus rubbed the nape of his neck and looked at the coffee house and back at Sirius.

“I- I can’t-” he paused at the dejected look on Sirius’s face. “-Not now, I-I have to get home. Raincheck?” He pleaded with his eyes and a tiny grin adorned the other man’s lips.

“Aye.”

Remus smiled nervously at him and nodded goodbye, walking home as fast as his legs would allow because he was fucked. He was royally _fucked_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secret Santa gifts start coming. Lily is pissed, Remus is happy and Sirius asks him out for coffee.

“YOU WHAT?” Lily shrieked to a very embarrassed Remus. He covered his head with a cushion, trying to avoid her fiery glare. His voice came out muffled, but Lily understood it anyway.

“I kinda kissed Sirius… And then I kinda left.”

He pressed the pillow harder to his face when he felt Lily trying to tug it away. He sensed the couch dip on the other end and tightened himself into an even smaller ball than before.

“Remy?” His friend’s tone had changed, soft and hesitant, it was warm and familiar. He threw the cushion away and turned around to curl into Lily’s lap where she softly stroked his hair. He closed his eyes and let himself calm down in Lily’s embrace. When he finally collected his thoughts, he opened his eyes and looked into her curious eyes. She smiled softly like she used to when they were children and he felt safe.

“I had my eye on a bookstore-” the white lie slipping from his lips before he could think about it “-and we bumped into each other. He accompanied me to the shop and we were goofing around from shelf to shelf, but he wandered off and came back looking really bothered because he had overheard the employees trash talking us. Well, homosexual people and us. He asked me if we could just leave and I got mad, Lils. I mean, I’ve been hiding from trash like this my entire life, you more than anybody know that. I got mad at the clerks and took his hand in mine, making a point, you know?”

Lily looked furious, the color of her cheeks matching her hair.“I can’t believe people are still this idiotic as to think all this shit.” She spat. “What else happened?”

“Everything got better, you know? He stopped being upset and we were laughing around at some titles, I don’t know. We held hands the entire time, it was more of an instinct, honestly. It just felt right, and we got to bother the personnel, you know, bonus. But when we went to pay for everything, he squeezed my hand and glared at one of the clerks behind the cashier who was being an idiot. So after the cashier gave me my books I ushered him towards the exit and kissed him in front of their stupid faces.”

Lily let out a little laugh and held his hand. “What did they look like after you kissed?”

Remus chuckled at the memory. “Their ugly faces went totally red. It was hilarious.” His friend looked amused, but went solemn all of a sudden.

“Why did you leave? Did he kiss back?”

“The kiss was amazing. At the beginning he was pretty much stunned, but then he was kissing me back and I got those silly butterflies in my stomach and everything. After the bookshop we walked a few blocks and started laughing until we couldn’t breathe. And then he thanked me and looked at me like I was the only person there and it was so intimate and vulnerable and I panicked.” He covered his face with his hands so his voice was muffled again. “He asked me if I wanted to get coffee, but I panicked and told him I had to get home.”

Lily started prodding his ribs and his arms. “Remus John Lupin, you are impossible. You love struck IDIOT.” She accentuated each word with a poke.

Remus eventually felt safe enough and looked at her, silently asking for her advice.

“Don’t worry, Remy. I mean, you screwed up, but Black’s a good enough chap. Everything will be alright.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

* * *

Remus loved working in the local library. He loved the smell of worn books, the yellowish pages of old books and the promise of new books. He loved helping the customers decide on books because he had read most of them. There were a few regulars, and they trusted his judgment blindly. It was quite endearing and made Remus very happy.

But winter hols had a lot of people visiting relatives and the library was pretty much empty. The shelves were organized and nobody needed him, so he was sitting at the Entrance Desk, reading his tattered copy of _The Woman of Rome_ , ready to attend a customer if any were to arrive. He heard the bell ring and marked his page for later. When he saw who it was walking through the door he couldn’t help the broad smile on his face.

“Minnie! I thought you were going back to Scotland for the holidays!”

The woman gave him a warm smile as she removed her coat. “Oh, unfortunately those plans were canceled. It’s too cold in the Highlands. Dougal convinced the kids to come around for Christmas, so you’ll have to bear with me.”

He chuckled at her. “Minerva, you talk about the kids as if they’re boys.”

She looked at him endearingly “They’ll always be my boys, Remus. As will you.” Remus felt a rush of affection for the woman who had become his favorite customer. Minerva had started digging through her purse and took out a small blue box with a silver ribbon. Remus blushed immediately and started playing with his fingers, not wanting to look at Minerva’s present.

“Remus, please, don’t be embarrassed. I consider you my friend. I won’t be able to come back to the library because of the preparations for the kids and Christmas, so I was in town and thought I’d bring you your present early.” She said in a kind and patient tone.

“But Minnie, you know I haven’t gotten you anything.” He tried to argue, but she wouldn’t have it.

“Nonsense, my boy! You are a student working in a library, I don’t expect you to give me anything. But I have more than enough for myself that I would like to make you a present and you are going to accept it, have I made myself clear?” She asked sternly, as she would’ve asked something out of her students.

“Yes, ma’am.” She smiled kindly at his acceptance and handed him the blue box. He took it and looked at her as if asking for permission to open it. After she had nodded, he opened the box to find a silver crescent moon pendant.

“It’s not much, but it’s something to remember me by. I hope you like it?” She looked doubtful, but Remus had already walked around the Entrance Desk and hugged her, fighting back a few tears.

“I love it, thank you very much, Minerva.” She hugged him tightly.

“I really do care for you, my boy. I’m happy you like it.”

When he finally pulled out of the embrace, he wiped a few tears from his face and immediately put on the necklace. Minnie looked at him contentedly and started rummaging through her purse again. She finally took out a large box covered in Christmas wrapping paper.

“Woman, you’ve got enough room in there for half of the books in this library!” He mocked.

Minerva only grinned and handed him the package. “This one is not from me, a person gave it to me outside and said I couldn’t tell you anything about them. Secret Santa?” She asked, knowingly.

“Exactly. No clues whatsoever?” He pouted, but it only made the woman laugh.

“No, my boy. I like to play by the rules!” She grinned cheekily. “I need to run a few errands, so I’ll leave you to it, yes? Happy Holidays, Remus.” She gave him one last quick hug.

“Happy Holidays, Minnie. Again, thank you.” She put her coat on and left the library, waving at him through the window like she always did when she finally found a particularly tricky book.

Remus took his seat behind the counter again and tore apart the festive wrapping paper of his gift. Inside there was jumbo-sized box of chocolates. “I love Secret Santa.” He muttered and opened the box to find the note with his clue.

 _“Don’t hate me because this is going to be awfully generic._  
_I’ve two eyes, two ears, two arms, two legs_  
 _and I know your love for chocolate is simply barbaric._

_You’re probably wondering ‘what’s with all the rhymes?’  
it’s really nothing special, I just had the time._

_You might think I’m joking, but I’m pretty serious,  
I think that the rhymes make me oh so mysterious."_

Remus read it a few times through and laughed heartily at the rhymes. It really was quite endearing that the person had actually taken the time to write them. He wished Minnie had stayed so he had someone to laugh about them with. He slipped the note in his satchel and opened the box of chocolate. The smell was enough to make his mouth water, but as tempted as he was to eat that delicious delicious chocolate, he opted to save it for later. Netflix and chocolate sounded heavenly.

* * *

“REMUS, WHAT THE FUCK?” Lily shrieked. Remus had been eating his chocolate and watching _Leap Year_ on Netflix in the sitting room, so when Lily burst into the flat looking like bloody murder, he was torn between laughing and running away. He settled for a neutral.

“Hey, Lils! What happened?”

Lily’s face was flushed and she was pointing at him like a madman. “Remus Lupin, I am so going to get you back.”

Remus pushed his amusement to the back of his mind and tried to look as innocent as possible. “What the fuck, Lily? What did I do? Is this about the mug I shattered earlier? It was an accident, I’m terribly sorry!”

Lily gave him a tight lipped smile. “If I find out this was your fault, you are in big big trouble. Oh, and by the way, you’re buying me a new mug.” She said, before she stormed into her room and slammed the door.

 

Friday, December 11th, 2015.

_(21:09): Dory, wtf why is Lily so pissed off at me?_

(21:24): Are you sure you don’t know? Cause I won’t say anything if you do ;)

_(21:30): Of course I don’t know, I was watching Leap Year and she started yelling at me :(_

(21:34): Leap Year again, Remus? Really? She’s pissed cause she got her SS gift today and she opened it in the break room.

_(21:36): So?_

(21:43): So it was a pair of fishnets and Kamasutra dice. And everyone was there, and I couldn’t laugh because she would probably punch me, but yeah, it was hilarious.

_(21:45): Oh my god, that is the best SS gift ever! I wish I had gotten a pair of fishnets. Instead, here I am, eating chocolate :P_

(21:50): Lucky tosser.

Remus laughed silently at Dory’s text and tried to imagine Lily’s reaction. Maybe it was a bit too much, maybe he should dial it down. He was in for a world of pain when Lily found out he was her Secret Santa.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” He mumbled, tossed more chocolate into his mouth and continued watching Leap Year.

* * *

It had been nearly a week since he’d bumped into Sirius and they still hadn’t talked. A few days ago he had come to their flat with James to pick up some stuff and they had stayed for a while, but things had been tense. Sirius had been avoiding eye contact and didn’t speak to him unless Remus asked him a direct question. Lily had still been irritated with him, so she didn’t help much to dissolve the tension in the room. When they finally left, James kissed Lily goodbye and patted Remus on the back, meanwhile Sirius just waved at them from the hall as he walked away.

“Sorry about him, he’s been moody lately.” James had quickly explained, and hurried after his friend.

Lily had given Remus a sympathetic look and finally spoken to him in what felt like days. “You should talk to him, Rem.”

He had been trying to forget about the kiss all week; reading, watching movies. He had even taken up a few more shifts at the library for the employees that wanted a few days of peace (not that the library was very busy these days, but it gave him something to do). But no, today he’d talk to him.

He paced back and forth in his room, thinking about the exact words he should say, what he shouldn’t say. When he got tired of thinking, he reasoned baby steps would be better than shoving all of his confusing feelings in Sirius’s face at once.

 

Tuesday, December 15th, 2015.

_(17:35): Hey, Sirius. It’s Remus. I know it’s an odd question, but are we okay?_

**(17:58): Remus! I guess we’re fine? I mean, I don’t know where you stand, but I’m okay with everything.**

_(18:05): Are you sure? Because the other day you seemed pretty detached._

**(18:09): No, honest. I’ve just been dealing with some stuff and my head’s been everywhere except my head :P**

**(18:11): Is everything okay with you?**

_(18:17): Yeah, everything’s okay._

**(20:48): If you’re still up for it, you owe me a coffee ;)**

_(21:09): Yeah, that would be nice :)_

**(21:11): Thursday afternoon are you free?**

_(21:14): I get off work at 5. Is it okay?_

**(21:16): Yeah :) I’ll text you the details tomorrow, aye?**

_(21:18): Aye._

* * *

Remus flicked through the texts in his phone trying to find the one with Sirius’s directions. _The Marauders Café._ He looked up at the sign and it was indeed The Marauders Café. He hadn’t really expected Sirius to be there yet, he was ten minutes early after all. So he entered the place and took a seat at a cozy table by the window. When the waitress caught his eye he shook his head as if to say _not yet_ and she nodded in understanding, going back to the kitchens.

He took out a book from his satchel to distract himself from the butterflies in his stomach and his frenzied thoughts. It must’ve worked because he was so caught up in his reading that he didn’t notice Sirius enter the place until he took the seat in front of him quite raucously.

“Hey Remy! How’s life treating you?” Remus raised his gaze and put his book away hastily with a smile.

“Everything’s been okay, dealing with regulars at the library that want advice for their children to start reading.”

“Oh, so you mold young minds? Enter them into a world of pain and suffering?”

Remus rolled his eyes. “What do you mean with _pain and suffering_?”

“The pain involved in immersing oneself in a variety of characters of different complexity and experience what it is makes them laugh and cry, leaving a part of your soul in each book. Oh, and swots get made fun of a lot at school.” He answered, rubbing his chin as though deep in thought. Remus stifled a laugh because bullying and making fun of books was _not funny._

“It sounds like you have a lot of experience on the matter. Were you bullied at school for your incessant reading?” Sirius flashed him a cheeky grin. “If I say yes, would that impress you?”

Before Remus could think of a witty retort, the waitress was at their table with a radiant smile. “Welcome to The Marauders Café! Sirius, would you like your regular?” She asked him, grinning like her cheeks would fall off any minute.

“Yes please, Nicki.” He answered with a charming smile and a wink. She blushed a little at Sirius’s shamelessness and turned to Remus instead, flashing the same flirty grin she did at Sirius. “What about you?

He looked at her for a few minutes trying to find his voice. “Er, uhm, tea, please.” The waitress –Nicki- nodded and wrote their order in her note pad.

“Hang on, don’t you like coffee?” asked Sirius perplexedly.

“Uhm, it’s not that I don’t like it, I just prefer tea. Coffee has never made me crave like tea does. Ours is a long and lasting affair.”

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows at Remus’s response. “Rem, you’re having my regular and if you don’t like it, I’ll buy you some tea.” He looked like he was about to take it back when Remus pouted at him like he did at Lily, but shook his head as if pushing his doubts away. “No, Remus. We are doing this. Nicki, two of my regulars, please. What muffins do you have today?” He asked sweetly, ignoring Remus’s playful glare.

“Blueberry and chocolate chip are hot out of the oven. One of each?”

Sirius sighed contentedly. “You know me too well. Thanks, Nicki.” She flashed them both a coquettish grin and sauntered towards the kitchen to get their order ready.

“Okay, that was a first.” Remus muttered, still blushing.

“What, the coffee? I’m sorry, I just really want to infect you with caffeine. We can take the order back if you want.” Sirius said, worriedly looking for another waitress.

Remus laughed at his frantic friend and shook his head. “No, you idiot. The flirting part.” He practically whispered.

Sirius laughed at his concern. “Remy, when you’re as good looking as myself “-he gestured to himself “-you don’t notice people flirting with you. It becomes customary. Don’t tell me people don’t flirt with you?”

“Well… no.” Sirius looked positively puzzled at his admission.

“Really? But you’re…” He scrunched up his brows in concentration as if struggling to find a word and failing miserably.

“Two Mocha Cafés with a blueberry and a chocolate chip muffin.” The waitress interrupted, putting their orders in front of them.

“Thanks, Nicki.” Sirius answered, not taking his eyes off of Remus.

“I’m what?” Remus mumbled as soon as the waitress had left.

“You’re…” Sirius’s grey eyes were still softly boring into him and Remus couldn’t look away. “…You. You’re you.”

If Remus was kidding himself into believing he didn’t feel anything for this man, that moment fractured every lie he had carefully told himself to keep Sirius at bay. If he tried to explain it logically, it would’ve been silly. But he had never felt like this before, like they belonged together. And Sirius was looking at him like there was nothing else in the world, and Remus couldn’t see anybody else other than Sirius.

“So… if I don’t like this, you’ll buy me tea?” He asked jokingly, trying to burst the bubble around them. It seemed that his voice had broken Sirius out of his reverie, for he was nodding at his question.

“I promise that if you don’t like this, I’ll buy you tea. Although I doubt that you won’t like it. It has chocolate, Remus.”

The magical word made Remus’s lips curve into an involuntary smile. He took an experimental sip from the mug Nicki had placed in front of him and a whimper left his lips before he could stop it. Sirius looked surprised and started laughing. “I take it that you like it?” Remus just nodded and took another sip from his mug.

“Go on, try a muffin.” Sirius urged. Remus acquiesced and took a bite out of the blueberry muffin. He didn’t even try to cover the moan that escaped his lips, the muffin was much too heavenly to battle.

“With those moans, you could’ve gone into the pornography industry, Remus.” He just laughed at the other man’s joke and took another sip of his coffee.

“I think my long and lasting affair with Earl Grey is in jeopardy. I may have to do a double take of my life.” Said Remus, scratching his chin in a mock thoughtful way. Sirius looked at him in a suggestive manner and Remus nearly choked on his muffin.

“That doesn’t mean going into pornography.” Sirius looked at him with pleading eyes and Remus suppressed a grin. “But if I do, you’ll be the first to know.”

“I bet Lily would get a kick out of that.”

“No, it would probably be her doing the kicking.”

Sirius shivered melodramatically. “I bet she’d kick both of us. I get a feeling she wants to kick me, am I wrong?”

Remus laughed and pictured his friend’s flushed face going on a kicking spree. “I think, internally, she wants to kick everyone. Especially me.” He added as an afterthought.

“Everyone who puts up with me wants to kick me at some point, but it strengthens the relationship, you know? Jamie’s very fond of my shins and look at us! We’ve been friends forever.”

“I don’t think that’s healthy, but who am I to judge? Lily manipulates me into playing Secret Santa and making new friends. It’s ghastly.” Said Remus, making a face as though he were about to gag.

Sirius laughed heartily at his gesture and made a similar one. “Yeah, we’re better off without them. We should go to… to the moon!”

“The moon? Okay, you lost me. Maybe it would be better if you went alone.” He said and laughed at Sirius’s offended expression.

“You have a pendant with a crescent moon.” He said, pointing to Remus’s neck. “Sorry I’m unoriginal.” He added with a pout.

Remus was about to comment on his lack of creativity, but Sirius was bouncing up and down on his chair and looked like he was about to explode. He rolled his eyes at the man who had suddenly become a boy (even though he found it terribly endearing) and couldn’t avoid his lips twitching into a smile. “Calm down, puppy. What is it?”

“You’re Moony.” At the other man’s baffled expression, he clarified. “That’s your nickname! Moony!”

“You are so unoriginal.”

“Sorry I’m not inventive enough for you, Moonbeam. Now it’s your turn to pick one for me!” Remus tried to maintain a straight face at Sirius’s eagerness, even though it was quite complicated, for his friend was pretty much everywhere but his seat.

“Mmm, it has to be something dog related.” He thought out loud as he scratched his chin. “Basically because you’re as energetic as a puppy and you’re named after the Canis Major. And I get the feeling you like it when people scratch your belly. Am I wrong?”

“You are very observant, Moonshine. Go on.” Sirius had calmed down and was looking at Remus intently.

“I don’t know, Snuffles maybe?” He chortled at Sirius’s unamused face. “Fine, fine. Buster? Buddy? Paddy? Padfoot?” He was about to say _Lassie_ , but Sirius had resumed his bouncing everywhere and his eyes were wide as saucers.

“PADFOOT! YES. THAT’S ME.”

Remus couldn’t take his eyes off of Sirius’s broad grin and smiled softly to himself.

“Yes, that’s you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is going on longer than I expected! It's really fun to write, though :D  
> Thanks a bunch for the Kudos, Comments and Bookmarks! They actually make me keep writing because I can be quite lazy xD I hope you liked the chapter, it's a bit all over the place, but i kinda liked it.  
> The next chapter may take some time because I haven't started writing it yet, but don't worry, I'll write it someday xD  
> Thanks again, guys:)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily absolutely needs a dress, Remus pours his anxiety into baking, Sirius knows what he wants and James just wants to open his final Secret Santa present.

“Lily, why do you absolutely have to buy a new dress now?”

Remus was in a clothes shop or boutique -whatever it was- with an overexcited Lily. He sat outside the fitting room waiting for his friend to come out and show him what felt like the eighteenth dress of the morning.

“Because-“ she stumbled into the hallway to look at herself in the body length mirror that was perched on the wall “-it’s Christmas next week and we’re both going to be busy with all the extra shifts and I really need a new dress for the Christmas party!”

Remus was about to answer with the obvious question ( _why did you have to bring me?_ ), but Lily interrupted him.

“It had to be you because you’re the bestest friend in the world and Marlene and Dorcas were both busy.” Remus opened his mouth to answer, but she just kept on talking.

“And it’s no fun to shop on your own. I thought maybe you’d like to get something too, impress a certain chap that we know will be there.” She added with a wink.

“Okay, first: That dress looks stunning on you, James is going to love it.” Lily smiled at him and twirled a few times to see how the skirt looked in the mirror.

“Second: okay, maybe you have a point. But we’re doing this my way.” He said sternly, trying to make himself clear. “You provide options, I may or may not pick one of them. Deal?”

“Deal!” She practically squealed and hopped back into the dressing room to change out of what he hoped was the last dress of the day.

* * *

Two hours later they were sitting at a vegetarian restaurant with a few bags and a big appetite.

“Good day!” The waitress addressed them with a big smile on her face. “Would you guys like to see the menu?”

“Actually, Remus, can we just get that spinach pizza with the caramelized onions? I’ve been craving it all morning.” Remus smiled at his friend and nodded.

“Mushrooms and tomatoes?” asked the waitress, writing their order on her notepad.

“Yes, please. And two water bottles” answered Lily with her sweetest smile. Remus tried very hard not to roll his eyes. Lily had worked at a restaurant a few years ago and she had seen first-hand what the employees did to the customer’s food when said customer was rude. Not that she was ever rude to any employee, but now she showered them with smiles and praising words. It was a bit over the top, even for her.

As soon as the waitress left, he let out a laugh.

“Lils, it doesn’t matter how many sweet smiles you give the waitress, it won’t stop her from doing nasty things to our food if she feels like it.” She grinned and poked her tongue out at him.

“Trust me, Remy. A smile goes a long way.”

And indeed it did. The waitress came back almost immediately with their water bottles and two glasses and told them they were in luck because their pizza would be out soon. Lily waggled her eyebrows at him and smiled devilishly.

“A long way, Remy dear.” Remus did roll his eyes this time and took a sip of his drink.

“Speaking of what smiles can do…” she added, mischievously.

“Oh God, Lily. What have you done?”

“Nothing, you wanker. Someone told me to give this to you, and I’m hoping it’s something embarrassing, so you have to open it here. Are we clear?” She said, taking a parcel out of her handbag.

Remus’s cheeks flushed a color he was pretty sure matched his friend’s hair perfectly. Surely Lily wasn’t his Secret Santa, but could’ve she manipulated his Secret Santa into embarrassing him? Not that he didn’t deserve it. The second gift had been delivered in a more subtle fashion than the first, but he still felt a bit guilty because he was sure Lily’s colleagues weren’t about to forget about it anytime soon. He huffed a resigned sigh and nodded carefully.

“Fine, I’ll open it here.” He answered, and received the parcel warily. He shook it to see if the sound of it would give him any clues, but it just made a dull thump and Remus had always been terrible at guessing.

Lily was about to take the parcel out of his hands and unwrap it herself, but the waitress was walking towards them carrying a steamy pizza and both of their stomachs growled loudly. They exchanged glances and both roared with laughter.

The woman smiled at them, placed the pizza on the table and proceeded to give each of them a plate and cutlery. “Have a great meal.”

“Thank you.” Remus answered with a smile, as he took out a piece of pizza to satiate his hunger. He let out an involuntary moan as he savored the long awaited nourishment, making Lily have a laughing fit again.

“Oh, shut up and try it, you silly cow.” Lily pretended to be offended at the insult and shoved a piece of pizza in her mouth.

“Bloody hell, that’s good.”

They ate in silence, and when half the pizza was gone, Lily shoved the present towards Remus.

“Okay, come on. Enough. Open the damn present.”

Remus held his breath and tore apart the brown paper and something that looked like wool came out of it. He took the items and admired them one by one. There was a black t-shirt with the phases of the moon, a woolly orange beanie and a long pair of socks adorned with stars. He started laughing to himself and Lily was nudging him with a puzzled expression because she didn’t understand the joke.

“He might as well have sent me a note that said ‘ _oh, by the way. I’m Sirius’_ ”.

Lily joined in on the laughter. “Is it really that obvious?”

“Painfully so, yes.”

Lily started looking through the presents as though she were examining them. “They’re really nice, though. Moon, stars. Wait, there _is_ a note!” She opened a slip of paper and read the contents to Remus.

“ " _When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city to see a marching band"_ What does that mean?” It took her a second to understand the lyrics and they were both roaring with laughter again, tears in their eyes and clutching their sides.

When they finally caught their breath, Remus couldn’t stop smiling. “I have to admit, your boyfriend has good taste. You didn’t tell him about your My Chemical Romance phase, right?”

“First: It was OUR My Chemical Romance phase. We were both using the t-shirts, check the photographs. Second: No, I didn’t.” Remus didn’t even bother correcting Lily anymore when she called Sirius his boyfriend, he just blushed and pretended it didn’t happen.

“Well then, the man has good taste.”

* * *

Remus didn’t hear from Sirius during the week leading up to Christmas. It’s not that he didn’t keep himself busy, because he did. Lily was right, between their extra shifts and other engagements (mostly on Lily's part), they barely saw each other. Sirius’s constant reminder came every morning when he opened his closet to dress for the day. The long sleeved black button up he had bought with Lily sat there staring at him, and the knowledge that Sirius’s Secret Santa gift was in there somewhere didn’t help either.

He had toyed with the idea of texting him, but he didn’t want to seem overeager. Their coffee together had gone surprisingly well. Sirius hadn’t let him make a fool of himself and playfully brushed off any awkward silences and uncomfortable topics. Remus felt at ease with him but at the same time, his presence made his insides do somersaults. It was a good kind of scary.

But he still didn’t know where Sirius stood in this friendship they had constructed. Maybe if he were more outgoing and less self-conscious he would’ve texted him something witty like “Not so secret anymore, Santa” or “I had a feeling you were the stars to my moon”.

“My wit is going to waste.” He muttered to himself on Wednesday morning after his routinely stare match with the black button up.

He trudged into the kitchen to make himself some tea and noted that Lily had already left for work. The schedule on the fridge said that she wouldn’t be back until after five. That would give him enough time to look for a Christmas present after work and get home without Lily seeing him.

“Great.”

* * *

The library had been pretty much empty all morning, so when his shift ended he had finished his book, done a crossword puzzle and exhausted himself thinking of what he could get Lily.

He nodded a goodbye to Frank (the next shift) as he left and directed himself towards the rowdy city streets. He avoided them as much as possible, but they were the best place to find a good (not too expensive) gift.

One hour and twenty three minutes later, he was stepping out of a quaint hipster shop with a Tardis mug (he _had_ broken her mug), a recycled sketch pad (Lily would love the “recycled” part), a new box of watercolor pencils (the good ones) (nobody needed to know that he had gone over the price limit) and colorful wrapping paper.

* * *

True to her schedule, Lily arrived long after five. Her presents were already wrapped and stashed under Remus’s bed and he was baking. Baking of all things.

“What’s that smell? Remus, are you cooking?” Her voice sounded dubious. Really, was he not the baking type?

He had been sulking around, looking through Lily’s books to see if she had bought any new ones. After rummaging through all of them, a piece of paper had fallen to the floor from only God knows which book. He had picked it up and chuckled.

“I found your Christmas cookie recipe from the fiasco of 2011!” He sang, and pulled out the second batch of cookies from the oven.

“Remus, that was a total disaster. Did you really use that recipe?”

“Good God, woman. Of course not! I found one on google. And you’re just in time too. Wanna do the icing?” He asked with a pout. “You know I’m no good at decorating.”

Lily rolled her eyes and took the piping bag Remus was waving in front of her.

“Only because I love you.”

They worked in relative silence for a while, humming tunes to each other. Lily had giggled at something Dorcas had said, and told Remus the whole story.

Around the time Remus was pulling out the fifth and last batch of cookies, Lily had dabbed pink icing on his nose.

“Lily, we have a limited amount of icing for a lot of cookies. Please don’t waste it.”

“Why did you make so many cookies? They’ll last for days here.” Remus blushed at her question and Lily smiled knowingly, waiting for him to confess.

“Well, I kinda thought we could take a few of them to James’s Christmas party?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. Speaking of the Christmas party, has Black talked to you yet?”

Remus took out his phone unconsciously to check for texts and was surprised when he saw a message in his inbox. He didn’t answer her question and she took it as permission to look over his shoulder and read the text anyway.

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2015

**(19:38): Will you grace me with your presence tomorrow, Moonbeam?**

“Moonbeam? That’s worse than James’s _Lilyflower._ You can’t make fun of us anymore!” Remus rolled his eyes at his friend’s joy and typed out a reply.

_(20:03): Positive, Padfoot. Someone has to take the Christmas cookies._

**(20:05): YES. CHRISTMAS COOKIES ARE THE BEST. I knew I liked you for a reason, Moonshine.**

“Okay, that’s just ridiculous. Does he just say _Moon_ and add any other word that fits?” Remus scoffed at Lily’s comment.

“Oh, don’t act all high and mighty with me, _Lilypad_ ” Lily blushed and smiled.

“Oh fine. No more comments on your foolishness or on mine. Deal?”

“Deal.”

_(20:08): I hope that isn’t your only reason._

**(20:14): Well, you are a good snog ;)**

Remus’s face went scarlet when he read the message. He could imagine Sirius’s cheeky grin and the shameless wink. As soon as Lily realized her friend had stopped icing, she reached for his phone and laughed at the text.

“Really? No subtlety that boy. None at all.” She said between giggles. “Go on, answer something flirty.”

“Lily, I’m pants at flirting. Honestly.” Lily smiled, wrote out a reply on Remus’s phone and sent it quickly.

“Lily, WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT DID YOU SEND?” The redhead gave him back his phone and looked at him smugly.

_(20:20): I’m good at other things too ;)_

“Well, that could’ve been worse. Come on, finish icing. I have one more cookie I want to make.”

Remus was icing the dog-shaped cookie for Sirius when his phone vibrated on the counter. Lily was lying on the couch, having already finished her share of cookies.

“Lils, my hands are all sticky. Can you read it to me?”

“Sure thing.”

**(21:06): See you tomorrow, Moonlight.**

“Just answer _See you_ and be done with it.”

_(21:08): Looking forward to it._

“Done.” Lily answered. Remus didn’t catch her satisfied grin or else he probably would’ve thrown something at her.

* * *

“Lily, are you absolutely sure I don’t look horrible in this?” Remus called out to his friend while he looked in the mirror. He was wearing the black button up and a pair of jeans and was feeling a little uncomfortable. The shirt was fitted, he had seen as much when he tried it on the first time, but now it just felt like it was smothering him.

Lily walked into his room with her hair undone and a frenzied look in her eyes. “Remus have you seen my heels?”

“They’re under your bed, Lils.”

“Oh, right.” She muttered. She was about to leave the room but turned around and gave him a once over.

“You look great, Remy. Really.”

“Are you sure this isn’t too fitted?” He asked, tugging at his collar.

She walked over to him, undid the top button and fixed his collar.

“It’s just your nerves, okay? You look absolutely dashing.”

Remus smiled awkwardly at her. “Thanks Lils.”

His friend smiled triumphantly and left the room, probably to look for her shoes.

“Okay, Lupin. You can do this. It’s just another Christmas.” He whispered to the mirror. But his reflection looked as nervous as he felt, so he resolved to not look into the mirror again and started rummaging through his wardrobe looking for the shoes Lily had said would look good.

Twenty minutes later everything was ready. The cookies were all boxed up, Remus had put the presents in his satchel and he was sitting on the couch watching a frantic Lily rush through the flat muttering things about presents and make-up.

When Lily finally stood in front of him and told him she was ready it was half past nine and they were running late. They packed everything into their old chevy and headed off to the Potter’s home.

James and Sirius lived in a small flat ten minutes away from theirs, but the Potter seniors had gone off to spend the holidays in the Caribbean and James had offered their home as a venue for their small get together. Lily had told Remus that James’s parents were loaded, but he was still stunned when they drove through the gates of what could only be described as a mansion.

“Lils, are you sure it’s the right place?” he asked dubiously. Remus’s parents had been working class and he had only been able to imagine what the upper class looked like from descriptions in his tattered books. “Potter seems so… normal.”

Lily laughed at her friend’s incredulity. “Sirius told me he used to have a big head, being an only child and all, but that it deflated before they finished high school and he turned into a pretty decent bloke.”

“That indeed. Oh God, and we brought these rubbish cookies over.”

“Oh, shut up, Remus. Don’t be a git. It’s still James.”

Remus took a deep breath. Lily was probably right. Maybe he was focusing on stupid class issues because he was trying to distract himself from the butterflies in his stomach that were threatening to come out through his throat.

“Sorry. Nervous is all.”

Lily squeezed his knee and gave him an encouraging smile. He parked in the driveway and took a deep breath. It looked like they were the last ones to arrive judging by the cars already parked around them.

“Come on, love. We’re late already.” She hurried him out of the car and onto the threshold. She rang the bell and Remus held the boxes. James opened the door and let out a lopsided grin.

“My LilyFlower, you look stunning!” He exclaimed and scooped her in for a quick peck. He looked at Remus and raised an eyebrow. “You’re looking devilishly handsome yourself, Moony. I’d kiss you too, but Sirius would probably punch me and I’m quite fond of my nose the way it is.” He said, touching his nose.

Remus rolled his eyes. “I see the nickname has caught on already. Don’t worry, you can stick to kissing your _LilyFlower_. I don’t mind.”

James gave Remus a quick wink and took the box from him. “Go on, everyone’s in the living room. I’ll go arrange these on plates or something.” He gave Lily a light kiss on the cheek and left for the kitchen.

Lily closed the door behind them and took Remus’s hand. “Come on, Rem. Showtime.”

The redhead steered him through various hallways and closed doors until he was pretty much lost. When they reached the living room he was so happy Lily had made him buy new clothes because they were all dressed to the nines. Regulus had even gone so far as to wearing a suit.

The room was spacious with a huge chimney and mismatched furniture that made the space look homey. He could see the backyard and the patio furniture bathed in moonlight through the sliding patio doors. Everyone was sitting in a semi-circle around a sizeable round coffee table.

“Hey guys!” Lily greeted them, taking a seat near Marlene who had signaled her over to ask her about her dress. Remus caught Sirius’s eye and gave him a tight lipped smile.

“Come on, Moony. Sit next to me!” He exclaimed playfully, patting the seat next to him and pointedly ignoring Reg’s snigger.

Remus nodded to the rest of the group and sat next to Sirius. As soon as he sat down, the man started talking to him about the gifts he had received and Remus’ visibly relaxed at the sound of his enthused voice.

Just as Sirius was telling him about how the last present had been delivered to him (a man in a trench coat looking awfully like a spy had approached him on the street when it was dark), James entered the room with a huge grin and accompanied by a man and a woman in matching uniforms carrying snacks and bottles of what he assumed was alcohol.

“Let’s get this party started!” the man bellowed as his companions settled everything on the table and left.

“Mate, we’re eight people, it’s barely a party.” Sirius answered with a smile on his face.

“I was hoping you’d say that. We get until one o’clock to ourselves. I’ve invited a few friends over after that, then it will be a party!”

“Oh my god, I did not see that coming!” Sirius exclaimed in mock surprise.

Remus rolled his eyes at the duo’s poor acting skills and an offended Sirius poked him in the ribs. “Yeah, like you could’ve acted any better than that, git.”

“Oh, stop being such a drama queen, Sirius. Come on, presents presents!” James was pretty much jumping in excitement and Lily was looking at him endearingly.

Everybody took out their present from wherever they were keeping it and looked around, excitement in every one of their faces.

“Go on, Jamesy! It is the Potter residence. You should do the honors!” Peter declared to a nodding crowd.

All eyes were on James and for the first time he looked nervous.

“Well, okay.” He took a quick sip of his drink and looked around the circle suspiciously. “Without preamble, my Secret Santa is Sirius!”

Six heads flew to where Sirius was sitting and he just let out a bark like laugh. “We’ve been mates for years and you think I’m your Secret Santa? I’m starting to reconsider our friendship, Jamie.” He pouted at his friend but James rolled his eyes and looked confused.

“Okay, who was my Secret Santa then?”

“I am, you wanker.” answered Regulus, throwing a parcel in James’s direction. “Honestly, you mix me up with my brother, I wouldn’t want to be your friend either.” James laughed and tore apart the wrapping paper.

“Really? A stuffed deer?”

“What can I say? I kinda ran out of ideas, mate.” They both shrugged and James placed the deer on his lap.

“Go on, Reg. It’s your turn!” Squealed Marlene, jumping up and down in her seat.

“Oh. My Secret Santa is Potter.” He answered monotonously. James groaned and handed him his present.

Marlene went next, followed by Peter and Dorcas. Finally it was Lily’s turn and she stood up for added dramatics. Remus was pretty sure she was going through her third glass of wine and it wasn’t even midnight yet.

“Okay, as you all know: My Secret Santa is an absolute tosser. He utterly humiliated me in front of my boss and he better have bought me the best fucking present he could find or he is in for a world of pain.” She turned towards Remus and smiled sweetly at him.

“My dear Remus, what did you get me?”

Remus was refraining from laughing and gave her the package without making eye contact. Lily took it and sat down again, leaving her wine glass on the coffee table.

“It better be good, Moonbeam.”

She opened the present and let out a laugh. “So the mug thing was true?”

Remus joined in the laughter as she went through the rest of her gifts. Suddenly, he was being blinded by red hair, sloppy kisses and a swarm of praises.

“Remy, you are the best friend ever!” Lily was hugging him overenthusiastically and Remus couldn’t stop laughing.

“Get a grip, woman. You’ve had too much wine.”

Everyone laughed and Lily went back to her seat next to James who gave her a welcoming smile.

“Er, I guess it’s my turn then. I am absolutely certain that my Secret Santa is Sirius.” He looked at Sirius who was still sitting beside him with a beaming smile lighting up his face.

“Could it have been anybody else, Moonbeam?” He asked with a wink that made Remus blush.

“I couldn’t figure out what to get you, so please bear with me.” He added and gave Remus his gift, quirking his lips slightly.

Remus opened the present, feeling everybody’s eyes on him. It was a framed picture of Joy Division’s “Unknown Pleasures”. Remus couldn’t stop the massive smile that appeared on his face. He was sure his eyes would betray the flood of emotions that he couldn’t contain, so he succumbed to the urge of hugging Sirius and whispered many “thank you”s for all to hear.

When he finally pulled away, Sirius was looking at him like he was something precious and he had to look back at his present because he knew he wouldn’t be able to stand the intensity of the man’s stare for long.

“Hey, what’s this?” He asked, taking an envelope that had been attached to the frame.

“It’s a Waterstones Gift Card. I wanted to get you a book, mold your mind, you know? But I didn’t know what you hadn’t read, so I got you the Gift Card instead. You can use it for anything, though.” Sirius answered tentatively.

“I’ll get a book, don’t worry.” He mumbled, looking up at the man’s goofy smile.

“Okay, if you guys stop smiling at each other like idiots, we can finish the game.”

“Yes yes fine, Regulus.” answered Sirius, looking away from Remus and back at the circle of friends that were watching them impatiently.

“I know she’s the only one left, but I swear I already knew my Secret Santa was Marlene!”

“Sure you did.” She answered as she got up and handed him her present.

Sirius opened it with the glee of a five year old and let out a shriek once he saw what was inside. “MARLENE, ARE THESE DOC MARTENS?”

“They aren’t exactly new, I had to raid a few second hand stores-“ Sirius had already gotten out of his seat and jumped on Marlene.

“THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.”

“That’s why the other presents were complete crap.” She answered laughing and patting Sirius’s back.

“I forgive you for the crap gifts because you are the best person ever.”

“I know, Black.”

* * *

It was half past two and James’s friends had already arrived and were being quite raucous. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and Remus thought it was one of the best Christmas parties he had attended in ever.

He had stepped outside for a while to take a breath of fresh air and relieve his ears from the booming music. The moon was high in the sky and there was a slight breeze making the shadows of the tree branches dance.

“Hey.” The unmistakable voice of Sirius Black sounded behind him. “Is this seat taken?” He asked, nodding towards the seat next to him.

Remus chortled and nodded. “I’m afraid it is taken. A fine lad too, named after a star.”

Sirius smiled and sat down next to him. “That Black bloke? He’s an idiot, you’re better off without him.”

“Really? I had something I wanted to give him. Maybe I’ll just give it to you instead.”

“I think that’ll be in everyone’s best interests.”

Remus chuckled and took out a little box. “It’s not much, honestly. I mean, your gift was lovely and I can’t put into words how much it means to me. I hope you like it though. Merry Christmas.”

Sirius reached out for the box and smiled at the sight of the dog-shaped cookie with black icing. “I love it, Moony. I almost don’t want to eat it.”

“You’ll offend me if you don’t.”

“Fine, but we share.” The man said, breaking the cookie in halves and handing one to Remus.

“Aye.” He answered, gulping down his half.

“They really are good, Moons. You could’ve been a baker as well as a porn star.”

“Oh shut up, Padfoot.”

Sirius nestled his head on Remus’s shoulder, startling him. It seemed like he didn’t plan on moving, so Remus just relaxed into their odd position, placing his head on Sirius’s and settled his eyes on the horizon, watching the shadows continue their dance.

Remus lost track of time and snapped out of his reverie when he heard Sirius’s voice.

“Remy?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry for not talking to you this week.”

“That’s okay, Siri.”

Sirius smiled at the nickname and broke out of their cuddle to look at Remus properly.

“It’s just that I couldn’t find the words to say what I wanted to say and saying it via text just wasn’t an option.”

Remus quirked his eyebrow in confusion and Sirius smiled nervously as he scrutinized the man’s face for a reaction.

“Remy, there’s a moment. There’s a moment in your life when you say to yourself ‘ _Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you forever.’_ ” He stumbled through his words and Remus was having a hard time processing everything. “That moment plays itself over and over in my mind every time you smile.” He had taken Remus’s hands in his and if Remus didn’t believe his words, his eyes would have said it all.

“You make me happy in a way I never thought possible, bloody hell, in a way I didn’t even know existed until James came back from his first date with Lily. I thought I’d never get to feel that, whatever it was.”

Remus opened his mouth to speak and after a moment closed it again. Speechless.

“I don’t mean to sound presumptuous, Remus. But I know you feel it too. This is stronger than anything I have ever felt and I couldn’t stop feeling it even if I wanted to.”

Speechless.

Sirius’s gaze didn’t falter and Remus was taken aback by the intensity behind those grey eyes. He felt his stomach rising and falling, only to drop even lower when Sirius squeezed his hand reassuringly.

He cupped the man’s cheek to tie himself to something because he was pretty sure he was about to float away. He stroked Sirius’s cheek with his thumb and moved towards him, resting his forehead on Sirius’s.

The energy between them was tangible and Remus had never been more certain about anything in his life, but it was Sirius who finally leaned forward and closed the distance between them.

The hesitancy of their first kiss was erased and Remus lost himself in the feeling of Sirius’s lips against his. Sirius had pulled him closer, a firm grip on his lower back and Remus had giggled into Sirius’s mouth.

He could feel Sirius’s grin against his lips and couldn’t stop his own idiotic smile. Sirius took Remus’s face into his hands and pecked him on the lips, on his cheeks, on his nose and just about everywhere.

Both of them were startled out of their bubble of happiness by a booming voice.

“FINALLY!” They looked towards the source of the voice, and surely (a very drunk) James Potter was standing by the doors and pointing at them.

“I TOLD YOU, LILY. BEFORE NEW YEAR’S. PAY UP.”

“Bugger, I was sure they’d kiss on New Year’s Eve.” She answered and handed James a few banknotes.

Remus and Sirius exchanged glances and laughed.

"Leave it up to you two to ruin the beginning of our relationship.” commented Remus.

“Don’t worry, mate. We’ll ruin it till the very end.”

“Well that sounds comforting. Thanks, Jamie.”

“You’re welcome, Padfoot.”

“You guys sure you don’t want to come inside? It’s a bit chilly out here.” asked Lily, rubbing her arms to warm them up.

“Don’t worry, Lils. We’re fine.”

Lily nodded and dragged an unwilling James inside to give them some privacy.

“DON’T FORGET TO USE PROTECTION.” Was the last thing they heard him say.

They ignored James’s remark and Sirius curled into Remus’s chest as Remus tenderly stroked his back. It was a moment that lasted a heartbeat, as silly as it may sound, and in that small heartbeat of a moment the only thing Remus could think was _"Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you forever"._

“So does this mean I have a date for New Year’s?” asked Sirius playfully, breaking Remus out of his daze and making him smile.

“Only if I get to kiss you at midnight.”

“You can kiss me whenever the bloody hell you want, Remus Lupin.”

Remus laughed and kissed the top of Sirius’s head.

“That sounds perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YESSSSSSSS. IT'S FINALLY FINISHED! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWED THIS STORY, IT WAS INCREDIBLY FUN TO WRITE!  
> I have to make a few notes on the chapter, disclaimers and such.  
> 1- "LilyPad" belongs to How I Met Your Mother, it's what Marshall Eriksen calls his wife, Lily Aldrin (spoiler? Sorry!).  
> 2- The My Chemical Romance song is called "Welcome To The Black Parade". I honestly started writing this fic on my own prompt that Sirius is Remus's Secret Santa and sends him the lyrics of "Welcome To The Black Parade". I honestly think it's hilarious xD  
> 3- I don't really listen to Joy Division, I just put it in there because The Wombats have a song named "Let's Dance To Joy Division" and it's a really cool song. Plus, the cover art of Unknown Pleasures is great.  
> 4- I didn't know if it snowed in England this last Christmas, so I didn't include it. Personally, I live in the southern hemisphere and it's really hot in December xD  
> 5- Sirius's confession comes from Blaine Anderson's confession to Kurt Hummel in Glee. I just love the "Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you forever." because it's so fucking true and so fucking beautiful and I wanted Sirius to have everything figured out.  
> 6- All of the characters in this story are property of the gorgeous Joanne Rowling.  
> So well, there you go. Thank you if you've actually taken the time to read this awfully long chapter note.  
> Happy February!


End file.
